Casares, Málaga

The municipality has a population of 4,051 (male: 2,139, female: 1,912), an area of 160 km² and a density of 25.3. Its geographic coordinates are: latitude: 36° 27' 0N, longitude: 5° 16' 60W, altitude: 246 msl.

The municipality borders with the following ones: Estepona, Manilva, and Gaucín.

The town of Casares is very picturesque with its Moorish cliff-hugging buildings and spectacular scenery.

[edit] History

View over Casares

Casares boasts it own unique way of life which is best understood after first going back over its long history, which goes back to Roman times. At that time the spa of la Hedionda was already well known, located on the road to Manilva, and this is where Julius Caesar was cured of a liver complaint, thanks to the sulphuric waters that still pour out of the local spring. It was for this reason that during the Roman Empire Casares was allowed to mint its own coins, and honour granted by the emperor in gratitude for the curing of a skin disease after bathing in the village's sulphuric and alkaline waters. Evidence of the Moorish presence can still be seen here in the 12th century Castle, around which grew the present town centre. In 1361, Pedro the Cruel and the dethroned Mohamed V of Granada signed the Pact of Casares, by which the Moorish King recuperated his throne, leaving Casares as part of the Nazrid kingdom. The town surrendered to the Catholic forces after the fall or Ronda in 1485 and was handed over to Rodrigo Ponce de León, Duke of Cádiz, as part of his domain. Here too the Duke of Arcos accepted the surrender of the rebel Moriscos, the Moors who had "converted" to Christianity. Casares had taken an active part in this rebellio, put down by Don Juan de Austria. The town separated from Manilva in 1795, being granted the title of Villa. At a later period, Casares was the only town, apart from Cádiz, that the Napoleonic troops has not been able to take.

More recent history indicates the old village as the birthplace of the father of Andalusian nationalism, Blas Infante Perez de Vargas, labour lawyer, politician, and writer, who is considered to be the largest historic figure in Andalucia. He was born in 1885 and died during the civil struggle in 1936.

Since 1978 the historical and artistic heritage of the village has been officially protected. This unique location is complemented with a picturesque and intricate network of steep streets where cherrful houses with interesting architectural desing stand several storeys high on the side of the gorge. These must have involved calculations that would surprise even today's most daring architects, and can be put down solely to human ingenuity during the rich history of this village.

[edit] ¡Fiestas!

The main fair (Feria) of Casares takes place during the first weekend in August. The day of the patron saint, the Virgen del Rosario, is celebrated in the first week in September, and in the middle of this month too is the Feria del Cristo. The most important of the Romero takes place the last saturday in May.

[edit] Local administration

The mayor of Casares is Mr. Juan Sánchez García, of the the coalition Izquierda Unida- Los Verdes - Convocatoria por Andalucía. This coalition has six councillors in the town's ayuntamiento, while Unidad por Casares has four, and the Partido Andalucista has one.

View of Casares

[edit] Elections

In the 2004 Spanish General Election the Partido Socialista Obrero Español got 54.5% of the vote in Casares, Izquierda Unida got 19.8%, the Partido Popular got 19.0%, and the Partido Andalucista, 4.9%.

[edit] People

Blas Infante

[edit] External links

Casares NewsCasares News is the English online news service for Casares Region
Map, weather of Casares, Spain
The Resident English language newspaper for Casares
Aerial view of Casares, Málaga, Spain. (Google maps)

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